Fairy Tail Fleet
by dumamoja
Summary: One shot collection of all our favorite ships. NaLu, GaLe, CarlaxHappy, JudexLayla, JErza, GrUvia. Mwali and Duma do not own Fairy Tail.
1. We Danced

We Danced

 _Inspired by the song by Brad Paisley_

A Nalu Oneshot.

 **Ok, so I know there are some people who are looking for the next chapter of FairyTail Bride. I understand. Trust me. I would have updated by now, but my flash drive decided to go MIA. So while I look for it…**

 ***gets on hands and knees*** **Please kindly except these humble offerings of Various assortments of Fairytail Fluff. Happy Reading!**

 _~Mwali_

Natsu's POV

I hated my job. Working nights at Fairy's Sports and Billiards Bar wasn't exactly what you'd call a career. I was busting tables, cleaning up spilled beer, and, oh joy… Handling toxic waste in the bathrooms.

Don't get me wrong. The pay was alright and I liked the other employees, for the most part. There was this one dude that I despised –Gray, - who never wore his uniform right. The guy was a natural ladies man who left his shirt totally unbuttoned- off, really, if he could get away with it…- and I hated his guts. But everyone else, even Juvia, who idolized Gray, were all pretty cool.

I guess that what really bothered me was that it's a tough place to try to find someone who was worthwhile. All the women that I ever served were plastered, taken, desperate, or had a stick up their ass. Sometimes all four. The "SUYA" (Stick Up Your Ass) variety were especially annoying. All I would do is be polite and as professional as possible, and they would assume that I thought they were drunk and was trying to make a move. People had a way of making the assumption that because I worked at a bar, I must be scum.

All except one. She came in on one Friday in June. We were really busy. The College World Series Playoffs were on nearly every TV. People were cheering and booing at top drunken volume. I was hustling around, delivering enough wings, beers, and onion rings to immobilize a redneck, but I had to stop and watch as she entered, wearing a light blue tank top and capris, blonde hair pulled back into a messy bun. She was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. And she probably didn't think so.

She crossed the dining room, led by Mira, who always worked the seating podium, and sat right down in… Drat! Gray's corner of the room. Missed it. If previous experience was anything to go by, that stripper would have the woman falling all over him by the end of the afternoon.

 _Well,_ I thought, returning to my work, _maybe next time, Natsu. Maybe next time…_

WHO WAS I KIDDING?! What if there was no next time? I needed to talk to her! Today. Before it was too late!

Someone threw an empty beer can at my head. "HEY! WHAT DOES A GUY GOTTA DO TO GET SOME DAMNED MOZZARELLA STICKS AROUND HERE!?" A drunken man's voice slurred. I dutifully reached down and picked up the can, tossing it into the trash as I went into the kitchen.

"Where did they GO!?" I heard Erza, our manager, roar as I entered.

"I don't know," said Gajeel in an annoyed tone. "one minute, Stripper and Juvia were taking a to~go order out to the curb, the next, nobody can find them. Slackers."

"Today of all days…" The redhead groaned, glancing skyward with a look of 'why me?' on her face. She straightened. "ALRIGHT!" she shouted, "EVERYONE, I NEED YOUR ATTENTION PLEASE!" We all jostled for a position where we could see both Erza and any food that was still on the grill. The redhead gestured to the diagram of the dining room on the wall behind her.

"As most of you have already heard, Gray and Juvia are inexplicably MIA. As a result, on one of the busiest weekends of the year, we are down two servers." She wiped the two names off of the board. "That means that the rest of you on the wait staff will need to expand your areas of the floor. Lisana and Levy, the two of you will have to split Juvia's area." Saying this, Erza alternately labeled each of the tables with the two girls names in black marker. "Gajeel, you take the front half of Gray's space. Be sure to check you-know-who because the baby spills."

The 'Who' to which the manager referred was a regular couple named Alzac and Bisca Connel and their six month old daughter Asuka. Gajeel didn't look too excited.

That meant that there was only one area of the floor left. _Her_ corner. I closed my eyes. _Please please please please._

"And….. I want…" Erza surveyed the room slowly. "…Natsu," YES! "Will you take that back wall?"

I had to consciously stop myself from jumping up and down and squealing. I cleared my throat for good measure. "Ah, yes ma'am." I said, trying to sound bored, but not too bored to be respectful.

"Alright then," Erza said with finality. "Let's get going, people!" Everyone began to move back to their stations, grumbling about how they were going to chew Gray and Juvia out when they showed up again. Reedus served me up a plate of mozzarella sticks, and I headed back out to the dining room, my first smile of the day spread across my face.

I dropped off the appetizer with the guy that threw the beer can at me, and went over to the back wall, where the lone blonde sat patiently. She smiled at me as I walked up. She had a great smile.

"Hi," I said, "Welcome to Fairy's! Sorry for the wait. I'm Natsu, and I will be your server this afternoon."

"Hi Natsu," she returned. "Wow, you guys are really busy today, huh?"

"Oh, nah, we just run ourselves ragged as a general rule. If you think this is bad, you should see Karaoke Night." I grinned.

She giggled, and I had to make a true effort to not stare too long.

"Ah, anyway, what can I get you to drink?"

"I'll have a Coke, please."

Oh crap. I wrote it down anyway, not bothering to mention that we were a Pepsi carrier.

"Ok," I said, looking up, "can I get you anything else?"

"Well," she scanned the menu before her, "I'd like some fried pickles."

I jotted that down. "Yes ma'am. I'll be back with your drink shortly." I turned and walked as calmly as I could, stuffing my pad into the front pocket of my apron.

As the door shut behind me, I undid the strings of my apron. I deposited it in my locker in the break room and bolted out of the rear exit at top speed.

I stopped after exiting. Where was I going? An excellent question. As I turned to my left, I heard the distinct sound of an intense make-out session around the corner behind me. For a moment, I was curious, but I'm not nosey, so I ignored it and went on.

Besides, I was on a mission. One that involved Troya General Store, which was a couple shops down in Fiore Square, the strip mall that Fairy's sat at the end of.

About seven minutes later, I was walking back into Fairy's, a six pack of glass bottled Cokes in my hand. I quickly grabbed a glass and poured one of the bottles over the ice. I stuffed the remaining five bottles into the refrigerator and placed the glass on a tray with the blonde's fried pickles. I wiped the sweat off of my brow from my jog in the mid-June heat, and walked back out into the dining area.

Levy was standing there, talking to the blonde as I walked up. They stopped talking as I placed the pickles and Coke on the table.

"Sorry." I said as I dug into my apron pocket for her straw. "As she's probably told you, we're a little short this afternoon."

She flashed me an understanding smile. "Yes, she mentioned it. I understand." She looked pointedly at the bluenette. "I don't want the others mad at you for talking to me so long. I'll still be here when you get off, and we can talk more at the bookstore."

Levy nodded. "Alright. See ya in a few hours, Lucy. Assuming I live through this," she walked away.

"Well," I said, fishing my pad and pencil from my pocket, "Are you ready to order, ma'am?"

"Yes, I think so, but first: I know you're just being professional, but please, don't call me ma'am again. You say ma'am, and I turn and look for my mother. Just 'Lucy' will be fine. Second, I'd like a ten-piece order of hot wings with celery and Ranch on the side, please."

I smiled. "To the first, I can do that, and to the second… I can do that too!" I jotted it down.

"Oh," she said "and thank you for not giving me a hard time."

"For what?" I asked, seizing the opportunity to continue to talk with her.

"I know you guys are a Pepsi place," she explained "I just normally drink Coke, so that was the first thing that came to mind. But you understood me and just got me the closest thing you had. No 'sorry, we serve Pepsi here.' You just adjusted for it. I appreciate that."

I grinned again. "Well I appreciate that you appreciate it." _Just wait 'til you learn that that_ is _a Coke._ I added mentally.

"And I appreciate that you appreciate that I appreciate it." She said with a smile. I was about to continue the game, but Gajeel walked by, a heaping tray in each hand.

"Hey Pyro!" He snapped at me, "Quit chatting with your girlfriend and give me a hand here, huh?"

I blushed and followed him, taking one of the trays.

That's pretty much how the rest of the afternoon went: making up reasons to go out and check on Lucy, the rest of the wait staff mocking me about how low it was to try to pick up a woman at a bar and making up reasons to keep me in the kitchen just to keep me from interacting with her.

All too soon, the end of Levy's shift came and I was forced to bring the check folder out to Lucy's table. I meandered out into the dining area and across the floor. "Can I get you anything else?" I asked hopefully as I reached her table.

"No, I don't think so…" She replied, "that chocolate milkshake topped everything off nicely, thanks."

I tried to contain my disappointment. "Well, alright." I set the black folder on the table and left without a word.

By the time I came back five minutes later to clear the table, she was gone. I glanced out the window and saw her walking down the sidewalk with Levy. They seemed to be talking about something that Lucy thought was serious, but was extremely funny to Levy. I shrugged and began to stack the dishes up and put them in the wash cart I had brought out with me. I wiped down the table and the chairs and picked up the bill folder. She'd left me a five dollar tip, (Really good, considering she'd only bought $15 or so worth of food) and the following review at the bottom of the receipt:

 _Great food! Phenomenal service from an even better server. I will be back. Keep up the great work._

Well, I don't have to tell you, but that made my day. Or night. Whichever. I was working the close tonight, so… Both.

A stray fried pickle fell to the floor. As I stooped to pick it up, I saw that she had left her purse under her seat. I picked it up wistfully and put it behind the counter at the bar.

The crowd trickled out slowly. In about an hour, no one would have believed the dinner crowd size. Everyone was gone. That included Juvia and Gray, who were supposed to help me close. I was on my own. I looked at the filthy tables. I went around the corner and peered into the kitchen. The stack of dishes was as tall as me. I grimaced.

Another reason to hate Gray? Ding ding ding! We have a WINNER! I rolled up my sleeves and got to work.

I was just getting through (Three hours later… Thanks GRAY!) when I heard a tapping at the front door.

It was her, and my heart skipped a beat. I went over and opened the door. I grinned. "Welcome to Fairy's! My name is Natsu and I will be your server this evening. What can I do for you, Lucy?"

"I just left something behind."

" Ya know, when the note said you'd be back, I didn't think you meant today."

She smiled. "I didn't think that was what I meant either, but I left my purse." As she spoke, I went behind the counter. "I _would_ say 'Sorry for the inconvenience,' but I'm really not."

She chuckled. "I can tell." She said, gesturing to my broad grin. "Speaking of inconveniences, how did you do it?"

"What?"

"I know fresh, glass bottled Coke when I taste it. I thought Fairy's was a Pepsi place."

"Yes, well… WE are, but Troya General isn't." I pulled her purse and the rest of the Cokes out from beneath the counter. "This it?" I asked.

She nodded and reached for it. I held it back. She gave me a questioning look. "You only get this back on one condition…" I told her what I wanted, and to my surprise, she agreed.

 _And we danced,_

 _Out there on that empty hardwood floor,_

 _The chairs up and the lights turned way down low._

 _The music played,_

 _We held each other close._

 _And we danced._

 _ **TADA! The first installment! Seriously, how COULD I start a Fairytail Oneshot collection with anything other than Nalu? It's ALMOST a rule!**_

 _ **Let me Know what you guys think. Reviews, people, reviews!**_

 _ **Special Shoutout to Dumamoja, my brother and publisher on Fanfiction. Nakupenda!**_

 _ **Lala Salaam~ Mwali**_

 _ **Fairy Tail bride will be updated today should the internet gods smile down on us.**_

 _ **duma**_


	2. Workaholic, but a Sweet One

Layla's POV

I'm sitting at home alone. Again. I just got off the phone with Jude, who told me he's going to be late getting home from the office.

Again.

It's getting to the point that I just assume that he'll be home late. I mean it has only happened every night this week. And the week before. He was on time _ish_ a night or two a couple weeks ago, but that was the only time. It was a few weeks before that that this trouble started.

I don't know. Maybe it wouldn't bother me so much if when he was home, he was all mine. But that was almost never the case. I know that tonight he'll come in, arms full of folders, peck me on the lips with a sad, apologetic look in his eyes, then disappear into the study. He'll stay in there for another to or three hours, and then slip into the bed, trying not to wake me. But I _want_ him to.

I keep trying to tell him that. That I like for him to hold me, tell me how his day went, and be able to tell him about mine, but his response is always the same:

"Sorry, Sweet heart. I keep forgetting. I don't mean to. I'll remember next time." And he does make the effort to remember the next time, but then he's right back to forgetting again.

I am milling around the house as I think this, and presently find myself in front of my dresser, staring at the calendar that sits on top. Friday.

"Well that is just insulting!" I whisper to myself. You see, before the whole issue at jude's work, (Whatever it is… He won't say…) this would have been out date night, like every Friday. Jude would have been home early, taken a shower, and we would have gone out to dinner. If not dinner, we would have at least gone for a walk around the property, or had a movie night at home with ice cream and popcorn and all the other foods that make your day and get your doctor mad at you. But not anymore.

I hear the sound of Jude's tires in the driveway and look at the alarm clock. 10:00pm.

Have I really been stewing about it that long?

Virgo's heels click on the hallway floor as she rushes to answer the door. I leave our room and head for the stairs.

"Raywa! Rime mome!" Ah. That would be the sound of him carrying either another folder or the newspaper in his mouth. Great. One of those nights.

As I round the corner and begin to descend, I see that Virgo has already taken her leave. Then, I notice that my husband's arms are not full of papers, as I'd expected. True, he does have one folder under his left arm, but it is practically empty. In his right arm is a great big over-stuffed white bear. And instead of the newspaper, in his mouth is the reddest, most beautiful rose I've ever seen.

As I reach the foot of the stairs, my open-mouthed shock turns to a broad grin.

"Hi there, stranger." I say as calmly as I can as I cross the entry hall. I take the rose from my wonderful husband's mouth and kiss him, wrapping my arms as far around both his and the bear's necks as I can. As we pull away, Virgo reenters with a vase.

"Ah. Thank you Virgo. Would you do me a favor and take this upstairs and set it on my dresser?" I say, slipping the flower into the long-necked frosted glass.

"Yes of course, ma'am." She replies, then heads clicking up the stairs.

I turn to Jude and gesture to his load. "What's all this?"

"Heh, that's funny," says Jude. "You'd think more people would know a big fluffy teddy bear when they saw one."

I smile. "You know what I mean…" I reply with a mock indignant whine, putting my hands on my hips.

He chuckles. "Yeah, I know. It's just that I haven't been home as much as I should. I just wanted to tell you that I' sorry and that I love you. And that I'm going to be home on time a lot more now."

"Why the-" I start, but Virgo enters, asking if she may retire for the evening. I grant this, wishing her a good night. She wishes me the same, and leaves again, begging our pardon for the interruption.

"Why the change?" I ask. "What happened?"

"I just got through finalizing a huge deal. Everything is in order now. All I have to do is sign a few more papers and bring them in on Monday."

I just grin. "That's great, honey!"

"I'm glad you think so. So the bear is just my way of thanking you for just rolling with all this for the last few weeks."

"Aw! Thank you, Baby!" I take the bear from him.

"I hope you don't mind me asking that you don't drag him into the bed with us…"

I let the toy drop to the floor and swat his arm playfully. "Shut up and kiss me." I demand. Jude drops the folder into the bear's lap and wraps his arms snuggly around my waist. He trails kisses up one side of my neck. His mustache tickles and I squirm and giggle like a little school girl. As I'm in mid-giggle, he seals his lips over mine. I let myself fall into him as I smile against our kiss.

Yes, he does tend to be a workaholic, but he does have his moments.


	3. I'm NOT gonna say I Told You So

I'm NOT Gonna Say I Told You So

A Human CHappy Oneshot

Happy's POV

Happy went down the hall towards her locker. The old lights of FairyTail Academy flickered overhead.

As he came up, he noticed that Carla was already there, working the lock. Happy assessed her body language as he walked up. The girl was clearly upset by something. _Handle with care_ was all but written on the back of her shirt. "Ok then," Happy said under his breath. "Approach slowly it is."

He touched her free hand lightly, but didn't take it. "Hi, Carla."

"Hey," she said, not looking at him. She finally got the lock undone and opened the metal door. Which smacked the blue haired boy in the face. He crumpled, and she looked down at him, surprised.

"Oh, I apologize, Happy," she said, her face softening as she spoke, "I didn't mean to do that…. I'm just so…argh!"

The boy popped up, a smile on his face despite the reddening welt on his forehead. "It's Ok, I'm fine!" He reached up to touch his injury, but winced and reconsidered. "Maybe _fine_ wasn't a good word…"

The white haired girl gave him a sympathetic smile and turned back to her locker, huffing as she stuffed her book bag with the folders and textbooks she'd need for that night's homework.

"Something's bugging you." Happy observed, "Do you wanna talk about it? I don't like it when you're upset."

Carla closed her locker. "I'll be fine," She assured him. "I'll tell you about it later. I promise."

"Ok," the boy replied, "if you're sure…" he took her hand tentatively.

"Sure." Carla confirmed, giving her beau's hand a reassuring squeeze as they started down the hall. "Right now, that's not worthy of my attention."

Happy felt himself relax.

You see, things weren't always this good between the two high school seniors. The blue haired boy smiled as they headed for the exit. No, things used to be _horrible…_

 _ **FLASHBACK**_

Happy was almost skipping down the halls. Today was the day. He could feel it in his bones. (Of course, he'd told himself that every day since second grade with no change, but he'd never tell anyone that.) Today, he was finally going to get his beloved Carla to love him. He went over his mental check list:

Flowers? Check.

Suit and tie? Check.

Masterpiece poem? Check.

He had everything he needed.

"Hey _Caarrlla!"_ He half sang, grinning as he came up to her. The white haired girl ignored him and kept walking. He followed her. "Hey! Carla, wait up a second. Please?"

The girl in question slowed her pace. "What is it?" She asked, exasperated.

"Well, it's just that… I have something for you!" Happy replied, perking up at the mention of his genius presents.

She turned to take in the sight of the boy and his gifts. "You're never going to give up, are you?" Carla asked in a bored tone.

"Well… why would I? I love you, Carla"

"What if I were to tell you this: that there is absolutely _zero possibility_ that I would ever be with anyone so childish and annoying, that I think of you as a waste of time and space? Would you give up then?"

Now, it hurt Happy deeply that she would say something so heartless, but he was determined. "No," the blue haired boy replied seriously, "because if I was just going to give up, what would be the point of trying in the first place?"

The white haired girl scoffed and continued walking down the hall. "It doesn't matter! I will not be wasting my time with you any longer! Just get away from me!"

This exchange happened at least once a week. (Happy would wisely give his beloved some time to cool off, as well as time for him to psych himself up and plan for his next attempt.) It had gotten to the point that the other students either completely ignored the drama, or placed bets as to who would break first, the suitor or the shrew.

One afternoon, after one such encounter, Happy was walking home from school alone. It was a long walk, but he knew that Carla walked home as well, and he always hoped that he might catch a glimpse of her. He didn't do this often, but both he and Carla would be glad of it on that particular day two years ago.

Carla would later tell Happy that the boy had been harassing her for several months.

Samuel was a senior then, and thought of himself as the ruler of Fairytail Academy. So, upon his first interaction with Carla (Public Speaking in the first semester of her Sophomore year) and her prim and proper, no-nonsense ways, she _immediately_ rubbed him the wrong way. He was insulted by her complete indifference, (Didn't she know who he _was?)_ and decided to teach the brat a lesson.

He would take a different thug of his each day and head about three blocks away from the white haired girl's home. They would corner her and, while they never laid hand on her beyond general pushing and shoving, they would abuse her so mightily with their words that she almost would have preferred it the other way around.

Upon seeing the tail end of one of these encounters on that day just before winter break, Happy was anything but. His vision was instantly tunneled and became awash in shades of red.

"HEY!" He bellowed, charging up to them. "LEAVE HER _ALONE_!"

Samuel looked up from his prey. "Keep walking, blue boy. This is none of your business." His voice was bored.

"It _is_ my business! I don't just walk away from people I can help."

The predator scoffed. "How could you help anyone?" He looked to his buddy. "Get rid of 'em."

The thug nodded with a toothy grin. He stepped up and kicked the boy squarely in the gut. Happy went down with a grunt, sitting down hard in the snow drifts. Carla let out a gasp. Samuel and his goon laughed.

The blue haired boy rolled onto his hands and knees with a groan. _Come on, Happy!_ He thought _. What would Natsu say if he saw you just go down like THAT?_

He was struggling to get to his feet when he felt a meaty paw of a hand close around the back of his hair and haul him up. It was the fat guy again, holding the scrawny boy so that his feet dangled about two feet off the ground. ''Get going, kid.'' Said Samuel. "This is your last chance."

His large friend dropped Happy, but this time the boy caught himself. He rubbed his head tenderly, but stood ready. "No, Sam!" He said with finality through gritted teeth. Without removing his gaze, he pointed to the white haired girl, who stood motionless at his determined tone. "YOU LEAVE HER ALONE!"

Silence followed. Until Samuel looked to his thug angrily. "Well?!" He demanded. "I told you to get rid of him!"

The big guy came at Happy with a sweeping right hook. The blue haired boy blocked the strike with an elbow, then adjusted so that he had a firm grip on the attacker's wrist. As quick as a thought, Happy brought one leg around and kicked the bigger guy in the stomach, causing him to hunch over, at which point, the blue haired kid simultaneously brought his joined fists down in the center of his attacker's back and brought his slightly knobby knee crashing into his chest on the other side. The goon crumpled, and Happy kicked snow and gravel into his face. As the boy's foot connected with the fallen fighter's face, everyone there heard the loser's jawbone crack harshly.

"WELL!?" Happy bellowed at Sam, his chest heaving only slightly from the effort. "ARE YOU GOING TO LEAVE?! OR DO YOU HAVE ANOTHER MINDLESS PUPPET IN YOUR BACK POCKET TO FIGHT FOR YOU!?"

Samuel became red-faced, and it was not from the cold. He came toward Happy, both arms outstretched to wrap his hands around the boy's neck. The blue haired boy took a few steps back, bracing himself against a nearby lamp post. At the last moment, he pushed up and off the post, and the full force of both of his feet slammed into the older boy's chest.

Happy staggered to his feet. Both of the jerks who had bullied his Carla were laying in the snow. He looked at Sam, who was on his backside, wheezing and coughing. He walked over to him. "Look," he said, his voice calming. "I know that your image is important to you. If you leave us alone from now on, no one at school has to hear any of this. That work for you?"

He nodded and then went right on wheezing.

"Good." He turned to Carla, who was staring at him as she might an alien, coming out of his spaceship. There was a single tear on her cheek. "Come on," he said, "Let's get you home." With that, he took her hand, and led her down the sidewalk.

They walked in silence for a long time, until the white haired beauty finally spoke. "You didn't have to do that, you know."

"Sure I did. If I hadn't done something, who would have?" He asked.

"But those boys might have torn you to pieces!"

He grinned. "That's not… _concern_ I hear, is it?"

"Of course not! Don't flatter yourself, Tomcat!" Only then did she snatch her hand away from her blue haired rescuer, which really bummed Happy out. They were quiet once more.

"If you don't mind my asking," Carla began again, "Where did you learn all those things you did back there?"

"Oh, right. I learned it from my buddy Natsu. He's a brown belt under Sensei Dreyar here in town. As you probably figured out, I'm a little on the small side, so I asked him to teach me some of the basics."

"Ah." As she spoke, the pair reached the front entrance to her apartment building. Happy followed her inside the elevator, despite the fact that Carla did not ask it of him. She didn't seem to be bothered by the gesture though, so that was good. They reached her door and she went to work with her key. Just before the latch clicked, Happy spoke up. "Hey Carla?"

She opened the door and turned to him. "Yes?"

"Would you let me walk home with you for the next little while? Just to make sure that Samuel and his buddies don't try anything?" He said, adding that last bit in response to the shocked stare that met him.

She gave him a small smile. "I would appreciate that. Thank you."

Happy tried to contain himself. "Ok, Great!"

"See you tomorrow!" She closed the door, still smiling. And Happy skipped down the hall.

They were an official couple a month and a half later, and Natsu, Wendy, and Lucy each made about five hundred dollars off the gambling ring. (Seeing as they were the only ones to put their money on Happy.)

 **END OF THE FLASHBACK**

"What's on your mind, Tomcat?" Carla asked, bringing Happy back to the present.

"First off," he replied, "I thought you weren't gonna call me that anymore. Second, I was thinking about us."

"Awww..." The white haired girl cooed, resting her head on his shoulder as they walked. "That's so _precious!"_

"You are making fun of me!" He mock whined. At that moment, a school bus stopped beside them, and Carla's younger sister Wendy leaned out the window and waved. She was sitting beside her friend Romeo, who was apparently more than a friend, because he had his arm around her shoulders snuggly.

As the bus chugged on ahead of them, Happy noticed that the smile had fallen from his girlfriend's face.

"I take it that's the root of your problem from earlier." He noted.

She gave an exasperated sigh and nodded. "Yes. When we get there, could you help me talk some sense into her?"

"At the risk of being argumentative…" The blue haired boy began slowly, "I actually really like Romeo. He's a good kid."

"That's not the problem." Carla replied. "The problem is, she's my little sister, and she's only thirteen! That's too young!"

"Bisca and Alzac got together when they were twelve, and they're married now. Natsu fell for Lucy when he was thirteen."

She went on as if he hadn't spoken. "And even if he is a good kid, Wendy needs someone sensible to watch over her. That boy's still such a child!"

"Hey now," Happy put a hand over her mouth, "You're in a relationship with _me_. You have no room to talk about childish soulmates! Romeo's from a solid family. He'll respect her, take good care of her heart. And it will mean the world to your sister if you get behind this. At least give it a chance."

Carla removed his hand from her mouth. "Maybe you're right…"

The blue haired boy put his arms snuggly around her. "Fun Carla _knows_ I'm right. And Hard Nosed Carla's _pretty_ _sure_ I'm right. I mean, I was right about us, wasn't I?"

"I feel an 'I told you so' coming my way…"

"Nah, I'll save it for our wedding or something like that." He whispered, and pressed his lips to her's. His Elusive Carla.

 **Tada! OK FIRST OFF,** **I KNOW** **THAT I MISREPRESENTED SAMUEL IN THIS CASE, BUT HE WAS THE ONLY EXCEED THAT REALLY FIT THE BILL, SO PLEASE DON'T RIP ME ON THAT ONE!**

 **Tell me what you guys thought. I just really felt the need to do a CarlaxHappy fic because I am in the middle of the Edolas arc, which is CHappy~tastic! If you don't agree, watch those end credits with subtitles. When I did, I cried!**

 _Lala Salaam,_

 _~Mwali_


	4. Library Fun

Library Fun

A High School Gale/Gajevy Oneshot

Gajeel's POV

The last bell rang out and I sauntered down the hall.

SAUNTERED? Yeah, yeah, I know: 'Since when does GAJEEL use words like THAT?'

Well, shove off, okay? It's just one of those words Shrimp keeps on using, so I picked it up. And anyways, I'm not an idiot.

So, like I was saying, I headed down the hall and the crowd just sorta parted. It usually did this. Other than Levy, there were only a handful of people who appreciated my sparkling personality. Everyone else just kinda steered clear of the guy with all the piercings. I liked it better that way. Less idiots to deal with.

I took a left and headed down a side corridor (Ugh, Levy Word…) that I had never used before this year.

Because the only thing down there was the library. I just never needed it; as long as I was passing, who cared, right?

I walked down the hall with my hands in my pockets and pushed the door open with my hip, breathing in the musty smell of books that I was used to by now.

Ya see, Shrimp and I started going out at the start of summer two years ago, the end of our sophomore year. Then this year, our senior year, Levy (Being the darn smartypants that she is) only needed one more semester of courses to graduate. But she chose to spread them out over the whole year and volunteer in the library in her spare time. At first I didn't like it, because it meant that we couldn't do much after school together, but then she asked me to come hang out with her until she got done with her work. Hey, it was almost always best to just give the little woman what she wanted. Besides, she's so little and cute, how could ya say no? That was at the start of the school year. Now it was April, and I rarely missed an afternoon.

I wandered over to my usual place. It was quiet, and I'd sit there and draw dragons (they're kinda my obsession…) and talk to Levy until it was time to go. I was just about to take a load off when I heard a frustrated groan a few bookshelves away. I rounded the corner to see Levy struggling to put a large volume of poetry up on to top shelf.

I snuck up behind her and slipped one arm around her middle. "Need a hand, Shrimpy?" I whispered. She tensed for a moment before I spoke, but relaxed as she recognized my voice. Without acknowledging me, she held the book over her shoulder and pointed out the empty space in which it belonged. I moved her to one side, but didn't remove my arm from around her waist.

"Hey, check this out!" I said, demonstrating. "Flat footed, arm bent and… TADA! The book is away! Cool, huh?"

"Oh, shut up, will you?" She replied. "I'll have you know that vertically challenged people are genetically proven to live longer. So mock me now, because it won't be so funny when I put you in the ground, sir!"

"Ya know," I said, "your's is probably the cutest darn mad face I've ever seen."

She blushed in spite of herself and pointed to the librarian cart beside us. "Make yourself useful, Redfox. I haven't got all day." I dutifully got behind the cart and started pushing along, helping her put the returned books back in their "proper place" as she called it. The way I saw it, as long as they weren't all over the floor and all, it didn't matter.

We were done about two hours later, and I was putting the cart back behind the front desk.

"Alright," Levy said. "Let me check it, and we'll go."

"What it?" I asked "And excuse me, but no 'Thanks Gajeel'? No 'nice work'? No 'how was your afternoon?' C'mon Shrimp! Where's the love? We hardly saw each other all day!"

"Because that's _so long..."_ She said, stepping closer to me, "But… If my baby needs me…" She stood on tiptoe to kiss me, but I covered her mouth gently.

"Let's get one thing straight here," I said, "I am yours, but I am not your _baby_. You don't have any babies. We aren't _ready_ for babies!"

As if on instinct, she reached for the the silver chain around her neck. Which happened to have the engagement ring I bought her dangling from the end of it. I couldn't see it, but I could sense it, hanging just below the softened "v" neckline of her shirt.

The only reason that she wasn't _wearing it_ wearing it was because we were trying to keep it to ourselves. I'd asked her a couple months ago, and the only people who knew were Bunny Girl and Pyro Idiot. But that was ok, seeing as Levy shared an apartment with the blonde, and me and Pyro had a place. They almost would have to know. Shrimp and Bunny had actually decided that the four of us were gonna have a 'joint wedding' whenever Natsu proposed so that when we got married it would be simple to just have Levy move in with me and Pyro move in with Lucy. I didn't much care how the logistics or ceremony went down. I just knew I loved my feisty little woman.

"Fine." She said, leaning into me. "As long as your mine. That's all that matters." She went to kiss me again. This time, I welcomed the affection. Our lips met gently, brushing against each other. She wrapped her arms around my neck, deepening the kiss. We stayed there until we broke for air, Levy resting her forehead against mine as I bent to set her down.

"Can you imagine what Ms. Porlyusica would have done if she'd walked in just then?" She asked as I straightened.

I grinned. "Yeah…" I did my best to imitate her as I continued, "Ms. McGarden! Redfox! I would have thought that as seniors you would know that such public displays of affection are a Level Three Offense!" I mimicked her pulling out her handbook, "In accordance with Article 3 subsection 2, I am authorized to give you both a referral. Ms. McGarden, you know how I feel about you children and your romantic relationships! They never last! I am very disappointed in you!"

Shrimp had been laughing it up from the beginning, but somehow pulled it together enough to say "Yes Ma'am!" With a straight face and a bored voice. And then collapse into a fit of giggles again.

I loved this. Had I done that when we first started going out, Levy would have been all 'shhhh! Sshh! She'll hear you!' Or 'Gajeel, don't be mean!' I guessed that that meant I was rubbing off on her. I stopped her laughing fit with a second kiss. "Alright!" I said, putting the little lady over my shoulder and heading for the door. "Let's go! If we hurry, we can get to the skate park before it closes!"

"Hold on, hold on!" She said, pounding her fists playfully on my back. "I want to check it before we go!"

I set her down. "Check what?!" I asked. There was no time for chit chat, we had to get going!

She held out her hand expectantly. (Leave me alone, it's a Levy Word again…)

"Oh, nothing," she replied. "Just that paper Guildarts gave you in homeroom. It looks pretty important. Had your name at the top… with the words PROGRESS REPORT typed up in big bold letters underneath?"

"Fine, fine, fine." I said, digging my hand into my back pocket. "Who are you, my mother or something?"

"No, I'm just the girl who wants her fiancé with her when she goes to the University of Fiore in the fall."

I handed her the half folded, half crumpled sheet of paper. She nodded her thanks and looked at it closely. Her brown eyes grew to the size of baseballs as she reached the end of the page. She looked at me, then back to the paper in her hands. She turned her gaze back to me, and kept it there for a few brief moments. That's when she squealed.

"Oh, my MAVIS!" She yelled, jumping up and wrapping her arms around my neck. I barely had time to catch her.

"Woah, woah, woah!" I said, stepping back for balance. "I mean, I don't mind a fast woman, Shrimp, but what's gotten into you?"

She pulled back and stared at me, surprised. "You mean you haven't seen this?"

Actually, I hadn't. "Guildarts handed it to me and I just stuffed it in my pocket." I said with a shrug.

"Well," she handed the paper back to me. "Much improved, sir!" She beamed at me. Sure enough, the C in Music was a B, and the Ds in everything else were now Cs. And my GPA was up .2 points. "OH, SWEET!" I pumped my fist, and we headed out of the library.

"Mmmhmm," said Shrimp as I stuffed the paper back into my pocket, "you be careful that that doesn't get out, Mr. 'Badboy' Redfox. People may start thinking that you _care_ , and we can't have _that!_ "

I reached my locker. I worked it open and handed Shrimp her motorcycle helmet. "Swear you won't tell?" I asked.

She tucked the helmet under her arm and stood on tiptoe, planting a small kiss on my lips.

"Cross my heart." She whispered, and we went out to the student parking lot.

 **Sorry to all the people who saw the 'GajeelxLevy' filter in the description when I first uploaded this and were disappointed. Honestly, this was** **supposed** **to be in the initial set, but I wasn't quite done typing it up. The story was ready; the file was not. Anyhow, I hope ya'll enjoyed it!**

 **Please review. Also, feel free to give me ideas for future shots. If I use it, I will be sure to give you a special shoutout!**

 **Lala Salaam,**

 **~Mwali**


	5. Those Nights

Those Nights

A Jerza Oneshot inspired on the song by Skillet

Jellal thinks back on his and Erza's time as slaves in the Tower of Heaven

Jellal's POV

Erza and I were relaxing in the guild hall. For once, there weren't very many people around. Lucy, Natsu and Happy were on a job, Gajeel was being his usual gruff reclusive self, Levy had gone to the book shop, Gray and Juvia were sitting at the bar, talking and holding hands (They were a relatively new thing.) and Romeo and Wendy were helping Asuka keep an eye on Nashi in one corner of the room. (Literally, watching just that kid was a three-person job, and she'd only just started walking.)

So that meant that most of the people around us were not part of our inner circle of friends. Just she and I, sitting on one of the couches. We had just gotten back from a rough week long job, and Erza had fallen asleep, her head on my shoulder. She was never exactly much of a hugger, so I was fine if she just stayed curled up beside me for a while. I flicked her red hair away from her face and just watched her sleep, kissing her forehead every so often.

After a while, the peaceful look on her face fell away. Her features twisted like she was in pain and afraid, feelings that few people ever saw expressed on her face. She squirmed fitfully. I put my arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer to me. She breathed deeply and relaxed, her eyes flittering open. Instead of sitting up, she just scooted closer, slipping one arm into my jacket.

"The dream again?" I asked her.

She nodded. "I'm glad you're allowed to be here with me when it happens from now on."

You see, I had joined Fairytail a few years back. The Magic Council decided that the most productive thing I could do to pay for all my wrongs was to fulfill many years of community service. So I joined Fairytail, and completed high rank quests for a discount… And by discount, I mean for free. If I went out on a job with a group, I would forgo my portion of the jewels.

And I always went with a group.

Because I was always with Erza.

Upon my acceptance into the guild, we were inseparable. Ever since I saw her wake up from her nightmare.

Our nightmare.

The nightmare that we helped each other get through, even before it was over.

Night after night after night.

 **Flashback**

The Tower of Heaven.

No other place on Earth could have been so poorly named.

Erza, Simon and I were sitting in the dark, trying to find a remotely comfortable place to lay our worn bodies for the night. A spot that wasn't cold and damp. That wasn't hard and gritty. Where we couldn't hear the whimpers in the cell next door. Even as children, we knew it was impossible, but we tried anyway. The guards sat just outside and around the corner. It was this watch's dinner time, and I could hear the sounds of crunching and slurping. My stomach growled woefully. I scooted away from the door. Anything to get away from those sounds and smells.

Erza slid closer to me. "Jellal," she asked quietly, "Do you ever have a hard time remembering what the real world is like?"

"Well, I remember some things," I replied, "But not a whole bunch. You?"

She nodded, tears coming into her brown eyes. "All I remember is that it was never this dark. Even at night. I wish I could remember…" Her voice cracked, and she couldn't go on.

"Hey, it's okay!" I told her, putting a hand on her shoulder. "I'll help you get it back! I promise." I couldn't stand to watch her cry. It always broke my heart.

She wiped her eyes. "Ok…"

"Well first," I began, "you're right about there being more light. The sun comes out in the morning and makes everything bright and warm. And the sky is huge and really blue and beautiful." As I spoke, Simon rose from his corner of our cell and shuffled over, sitting across from me in the dim light of the watchmen's lantern.

"And at night," I continued, "the sun goes to sleep and then the moon comes out with a whole bunch of stars. They make light too, but it's soft, cool light, like a cold drink of water. And then, there are a lot of different plants. I remember trees as tall as this Tower, and lush green bushes and grass…"

"Oh yeah!" Said Simon. "And all kinds of great fruits and veggies grew all over the place."

"Exactly!" I said. "Like cucumbers, and apples and peas and strawberries and- "

Erza became excited. "OH! I remember strawberries!" She cried out. "They're red, and juicy and delicious!"

"Right!" I told her, "That's them!" All this talk of food was making my stomach churn all the worse, so I thought it best to change subjects. "And the best thing is the beautiful places out there. There are mountains, big piles of rocks that make this Tower look like a blade of grass. And there's oceans and grassy fields full of flowers… Oh, and rivers! There was a river near where I used to live. I loved to make little boats and send them down the river. I used to pretend that they'd come back and tell me all about what they saw. And then I'd go inside and tell my mother all about the things that my boats had told me." I felt myself get misty-eyed.

We talked like that for what seemed like both an instant and an eternity. Then Erza yawned

"That sounds amazing," she said, "I wish we could go there now."

Well," I said, helping her lie down, "Why don't you have a really good dream about it, and you can tell us about it in the morning? I'll get us out of here soon, and we'll go there someday."

She closed her eyes. Then opened them again. "Promise?"

I laid down beside her, just within arm's reach. "I promise."

"Good." She closed her eyes again. "Cross your heart?"

"Cross my heart." I told her, "Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

I laid awake for a while after I heard Simon and Erza's breathing become even and turn to light snores. Listening to the guards sing softly around the corner.

 **End Flashback**.

Erza spoke up, pulling me out of the past. "Thank you for that, Jellal" she said.

"For what?" I replied.

"For being there for me back then."

"You were there for me too, you know. No thanks required."

"It's just… Remember those nights with you, me, and Simon? Talking about the real world and what were the things we would do when we were free again?"

 _Had she been reading my mind?_ "Yes."

"And the guards would use music lacrima, and we learned that their taste in music was just as bad as everything else about them?"

"Yes."

"Well, those nights were all that kept me _sane._ Those nights kept me alive."

 **Hodi? (Say Karibu; KA-ree-boo) for those of you are curious, "Hodi" is Swahili for "May I come in?" or "Anybody home?" And "Karibu" means "Welcome."  
**

 **I thought I would go a little hurt/comfort for this shot. And no ship says "Hurt/Comfort" Quite like our Jerza.**

 **I hope you guys enjoyed it. Tune in Next Time for "Double Date", a Gruvia one-shot.**

 **Again, I am open to any ideas you guys have. If there is a ship that you'd like to see that hasn't been featured yet, let me know. Your input is, and will always be, appreciated!**

 **Lala Salaam,**

~ _ **Mwali**_


	6. The Letters

The Letters

A Gruvia Oneshot

 **Ok, I know I told ya'll that the next oneshot was going to be a Gruvia called "Double Date", but that idea has to be put on hold until I finish the Edolas Story Arc. (Glares at Dumamoja, because he won't let Mwali watch episodes without him… Even though he's already seen it.)**

 **But I still feel that I need to do a Gruvia this time around. So here we are!**

 **Gray's POV**

Alright, before we get started, let me be clear: I am not dense. _Natsu_ is dense. Just so we're on the same page.

Juvia had been a student at Magnolia Academy since about the eighth grade. From that time, she and I had had a few classes together, but didn't socialize much. She wasn't really a social person. She mostly kept to herself.

Then, in tenth grade, she started carrying around the notebook. It was a simple black and white marbled pattern, but she had drawn some kind of Chibi of a dark haired boy on the back. There wasn't a single day that I saw her without it. She had it out in every class, writing intensely. Lunchtime too. Every. Single. Day. For the rest of HIGHSCHOOL. It wasn't always the same notebook. As the years dragged on, she got ones with different colors or patterns, but always, there was the little dark haired Chibi on the back cover.

After a while, it was just natural to see her with it. So much so, I hardly noticed it.

It was March of our senior year when I thought about it again. Natsu, Lucy, Erza and I were sitting down to lunch. "Seriously, Gray," said Natsu, dragging his girlfriend's chair so close she may as well have been sitting in his lap, "You need to find yourself a girlfriend."

"Oh, this from the guy who took six years to ask out the girl he'd been secretly crushing on since fifth grade?" I asked. I stuck my right hand out. "Nice to meet you, Pot. My name's Kettle." He laughed a little at that. "At least my lack of a relationship is out of knowing I haven't found the right girl, not cowardice, _like some pyromaniacs I can think of._ "

Erza snorted.

"HEY!" Natsu jumped to his feet, "I was trying to figure out what to say to her. There was a plan! I just wasn't sure if she felt the same way!"

"Dude," I said, "you are my best friend… but Lucy could not have been more obvious without writing you a love letter in big black print on a bright pink piece of poster board and taping it to your locker, and sending flowers and a box of chocolate covered strawberries with 'I love you' written in the white chocolate drizzle."

"Amen to that!" agreed the blonde.

Natsu turned to her, shocked, ignoring Erza's dreamy expression at the mention of her favorite fruit.

"WHO'S SIDE ARE YOU ON?!" he demanded, pouting.

Lucy got to her feet and kissed him sweetly. " _Our_ side, Babe." She assured him, slipping her arms around his neck "Now sit down. Please?"

"Okay." Said the pinkette, obliging.

As he sat, Erza finally spoke. "Well Gray, you say you haven't found the right girl yet, but… what about Juvia Lockster?"

I thought about that. Juvia and I never talked much. It wasn't out of any problem we had with each other. In fact, when we did talk, she was very sweet and likable. We were just not around each other enough to get to be real friends. And we were just so _different._ Looking back, I don't know why that had deterred me. And she _was_ hot, in a quiet, shy, geeky, amazing way… oh, _extremely hot._

I felt sweat beading on the back of my neck.

"I'm not hearing any objections…" said Erza in a singsong voice.

"Well, I mean… I wouldn't-"

We heard shouting across the cafeteria.

"Oh, come ON, Cana!" I muttered.

Cana Aberona was voted Biggest Party Animal in our senior superlatives. Apparently, she hadn't slept off the past weekend's buzz. How did I know that, you ask? Because at that moment, she was standing on one of the tables, holding her purse high over her head, belting out the opening of Lion King at the top of her lungs. Then it got worse.

Juvia, totally ignoring the development, quietly got up from her usual place, and went to dump her tray.

Cana, looking at once terrified and infuriated at the same time, screamed "SCAR!" and tackled the poor, unassuming girl.

Officer Gildarts let out a shrill whistle and came running over. "ALRIGHT! CANA, THAT IS _ENOUGH!"_ he pulled his slurring daughter away from the blunette. "I am taking both of you to Headmaster Makarov so we can sort this out. You," he told Cana, "are grounded until graduation." And he led both girls from the room, on hand on Juvia's shoulder, the other clasping Cana's ear.

Just another average day at Magnolia Academy.

Later, as we were shuffling out of the lunch room, I noticed that Juvia had left her notebook sitting at her place. It was weird to see it away from her. On an impulse, I walked over and picked it up, thinking I'd take it up to the front office and give it back to her.

It was really well worn, I noticed. The pages were thin as tissue paper, the cover so beat up, I could barely make out Juvia's name on the front. It was apparent that the sewn binding had been all but destroyed. I learned this as I turned to continue out of the cafeteria, and a handful of the papers fell to the floor.

As I bent down to scoop them up, a single phrase, at the top of one page, on the title line, caught my eye.

 _Dearest Gray._

I froze.

Had I read that right?

I looked again. _Dearest Gray._

I gathered up all the papers and tucked them back between the covers of the notebook. I straightened, and ran to class, those two words burning into the side of my mind like a branding iron.

 _Just don't look at it,_ I thought, _if you don't see it, it doesn't exist._ Of course, that logic was the way it worked for most things for me, but…

I _had_ seen it. It could not be unseen.

 _Besides_ , I reasoned, _it_ is _addressed to me,_ _so_ technically….

Before I could reconsider, I reached into the hanging wire basket under my desk and pulled out the jotter. Opening it gingerly, I laid it on top of my science book, and began to read.

 _Dearest Gray,_

 _Even though we so rarely have the opportunity to spend time with one another, I feel as though I know you better than even my closest friends at Lorde Academy. I feel as if my life began when I walked through the doors of Magnolia all that time ago. You have a wonderful sense of humor, confidence, and all of your friends know that they can trust you. To say nothing about how gorgeous you are._

 _I wish I could work up the courage to tell you how I feel. But I suppose these letters will have to do for now, beloved._

 _~Juvia_

 _Dearest Gray,_

 _NOTICE ME SENPEI! I am not strong enough to throw caution to the winds, so all I can do is sit and hope that someday, you might finally see me._

 _I know what other girls in school say. Many say they have loved you at one point or another, to no avail. It is no wonder to me that they love you. You are ruggedly handsome, my love._

 _I wish I could run my fingers through your hair. I shall go on hoping and waiting._

 _~Juvia_

Her writing went on like that for most of the journal, in an almost worshipful manner. It took me three class periods to read and digest all of the information and emotions bouncing around in my head and heart. More than one of her letters had brought me to the very edge of tears. As I read, the thousands of little moments and gestures over the years finally made sense, and I cursed myself for not having noticed until now. In fact, now that I thought about it, she did, at one point, actually run her fingers through my hair during a math project. It also finally clicked that the Chibi on the back of this and the other notebooks… was me.

With about five minutes remaining in the school day, I reached that day's entry:

 _Gray,_

 _I cannot do this much longer. A candle in the dark of night may only burn so long before the wick is spent. Be assured: I yet love you. It is only that I am almost out of hope that you will ever love me._

 _Give me some sign. Anything to rekindle the dying embers of my optimism._

 _~Juvia_

I bit the inside of my cheek. I carefully closed the book as the final bell rang. I knew what I had to do.

I wandered down the hall. I walked slowly, wanting the hallway cleared by the time I reached her locker.

I stopped by the library, went to the bathroom, stopped to tie my shoe eight or nine times… you know, just trying to keep my cool.

I know some of you are thinking, _Gray, get a move on! What if she leaves before you get there, slowpoke?_

Trust me, Juvia realized that she left her notebook midway through the meeting with Makarov. And she _would not_ be leaving without it.

As I rounded the corner, there she was. Frantically pulling everything out of her locker, crying. There was no one else in the hall.

"Did I leave it in here?" I heard her murmur, her voice tight.

"Hey Juvia." I said, walking up.

She turned suddenly, staring in shock and hastily wiping her eyes. "Oh! Hi, Gray. How- how are you?"

"I'm" I squeaked. I cleared my throat and tried again. "Uh, I'm good. I just… I saw what happened earlier with Cana. You okay?"

I didn't know that the blunette's eyes could open wider than they had when I first made my presence known.

They could.

And it was _adorable!_

She spoke up then, so I moved that thought to the side for the moment.

"Oh, yes. I'm fine. I know Cana didn't mean anything by it. She was just drunk, and we know that's just how she rolls."

I chuckled at that. "Yeah, true. It was funny, up until she pounced on you. I did _not_ see that one coming…"

"Yeah." She laughed too.

"So, um, what are you doing?" I asked, gesturing to her dismantled locker and trying to sound clueless.

"Oh! Right, I um… I was looking for something, but it's not here." She started stuffing things back into the locker hurriedly.

I held the notebook out to her for a five count before she looked back at me.

"Could this be it?" I asked.

"Thank you! Where was it?"

"In the caf," I told her. She reached for it, but I held it away from her.

She looked at me curiously. Then, realization slowly crept over her face.

"You read them, didn't you?" she asked dejectedly, her gaze falling to the floor somewhere behind me.

"In my defense, they _were_ addressed to me." Despite my mild tone, I continued to gaze at her intensely, though she kept her eyes fixed on the floor. I offered her the book again, and she took it without looking at me.

"So… what happens now?" she asked, "I know that must have been weird for you, but… can we still be friends?" her voice cracked on the last word.

"No." I said with finality.

She stared at me, and I could almost see her soul fracturing before my very eyes.

"Okay… um, I'll just…" she closed her locker so gently, I barely heard it. She turned and started to walk away. _CRAP, I FROZE UP! TOO LONG OF A PAUSE! DO_ SOMETHING, _YOU IDIOT!_

I caught her by the wrist. "Hold on a second." I said.

She shook her head and tugged against my grip. I used her force against her and pressed her lightly against her locker.

"Listen to me." I told her sternly, tilting her head up so she had to look me in the eye. "We can't _just_ be friends. From this moment on, I'm going to make sure you have ample opportunities to let me know exactly how you feel." And I took her face in my hands, kissed each tearstained cheek and finally brought her lips to mine.

When I'd first kissed her cheeks, she had stiffened in surprise. But by the time I pressed my lips to hers, she was ready for it, and kissed me back instantly. It was like when you shake up a soda can, then poke a hole in the side; there's not a ton coming through at one time, but it's _fire hosing_ out. So much emotion had built up over the years, and now, finally, she could release a small bit of it. All that to say: she was- and is, even after twenty years of marriage- one HECK of a kisser. My brain briefly short-circuted.

We finally broke for air close to a minute later, and I just held her, standing there in the middle of the empty hall.

"Feel better?" I asked.

She nodded, and the second kiss was just an abbreviated version of the first.

Lucy was the matron of honor at the wedding. Natsu was best man.

And Cana was our maid of honor. And her speech was all about how we owed her big time, and she expected to be made the godmother and have at least one of our kids named after her and a thousand other things that I couldn't understand because even that early in the reception, she was drunk to the point of incoherence. She claims to not even remember making the speech at all.

As for all the journals of Juvia's letters to me, we still have them. They sit on a high shelf in the living room, and as each of our children reach their teenage years, we take them down and read them together; just she and I and the new teen. We use them to illustrate the enduring love you have to have to make any relationship worthwhile. Especially if that someone you love isn't very good at paying attention.

Other than that, I hardly think about those old books, and I _never_ have to read them.

Because from that day in March of our Senior year, to this day twenty-five years later… my Juvia _never_ keeps her feelings from me.

 **Ahhh! True love! *Mwali does Fab Fairy Dance***

 **This one may be my favorite so far! The basic idea behind this story was just me asking myself how a slightly more shy, reserved Juvia would deal with her feelings for Gray. I hope you guys loved reading it as much as I did writing it. Follow, Like, Review, people.**

 **I sense a MiraXus in the near future…**

 **Lala Salaam,**

 **~Mwali**

 _ **Duma here,**_

 _ **In my defense, the only time that I may ever get the chance to re-watch Fairy-Tail, is with Mwali, I have to take advantage of it.**_


	7. Centerfold

The Center Fold

 _In which Laxus and Mira discuss her career at Sorcerer Weekly._

 **Here's the MiraXus I promised! For the record, I started this the same day I uploaded the Gruvia shot, it's just… Dang, dialog is hard.**

 **And this is a long update, so there!**

 **WARNING: MIRA IS** **REALLY IMMATURE** **FOR CERTAIN PARTS OF THIS FIC, BUT THERE ARE REASONS FOR THAT.**

 **BEAR WITH ME ON IT.**

Beep, beep, beep, beep.

The Lightning Dragon Slayer reached up and turned off his alarm clock. 5:00 am. He kicked the covers off and got up to do his usual morning workout:

One hundred and fifty push ups with an extra hundred pounds strapped to his back, two hundred sit ups and five hundred jumping jacks.

Before Breakfast.

This having been done, Laxus then showered and set about preparing his morning meal. After thirty minutes, five eggs, a banana, two slices of multigrain toast, and a cup of black coffee, he was out the door and headed to the guild. The sunrise had turned the early April morning sky into a beautiful masterpiece. Ya know, if ya cared about that kinda thing.

It wasn't until he passed a newsstand a few blocks away from the guild that the Slayer's day started to leave a sour taste in his mouth.

Because that was when he realized it was Sunday. Which meant that the latest edition of Sorcerer Weekly had hit the shelves.

He almost didn't look. He tried to keep walking, but he had to check it. Hesitantly, he picked it up and turned to the Center Fold. Just to see what kind of trouble he was going to have with Mira's admirers this week.

And there she was.

Very provocatively, even by Sorcerer Weekly's standards.

In that instant, he'd enjoyed himself. Until he remembered that, with a few exceptions, like Natsu,(who was clueless) Gray, (Who didn't see scantily clad women as something to be all excited about) Gajeel, (He and McGarden were really serious, it seemed,) and Elfman (Because only sickos seek out, ahem, _pictures_ of their siblings) all the other "mature" guys in FairyTail read the magazine.

"Oh, _Hell_ no!" He murmured. "Not while I'm breathin'!"

Of course, he'd always hated how the other mages went crazy over Mira anyway, but this

This crossed the line.

 _Nobody_ was allowed to look at his Mira like this.

On a possessive impulse, Laxus bought the entire stock of SW. The salesman looked at him quizzically, but he didn't turn down the jewels the blonde shoved at him.

The Dragon Slayer detoured back to his apartment and deposited the stack on the dinning room table. He opened the top issue back up to the center fold. Ripping it out with a swift tug, he stuffed the paper under his mattress, and threw the rest of the offending material into the fireplace, along with the other copies, burning them to ash.

Needless to say, he was extremely bothered when he reached the guildhall, an hour later than usual…

To see that all of the guild's SW readers…

Already _had_ a copy.

The young man gritted his teeth out of sheer and barely controlled rage.

"Good morning, Laxus!" Called a cheerful Mira from behind the counter.

At her voice, his vision tunneled, and he walked over and sat at his usual place at the bar. Plopped at it, really. "Good morning, Mirajane." He replied, trying for her sake to achieve something akin to a cheerful tone himself.

"What's on your mind?" She asked.

"Nothing," he replied, not looking up, "just tired."

"Oh, so that's why you're late this morning. You must have overslept" She reasoned, and Laxus let it pass without a comment.

You see, Laxus definitely wasn't the type to wear his heart on his sleeve. This being the case, he had not told Mira anything about his feelings for her, ever. It hadn't even crossed his mind. He certainly wasn't about to voice his opinion on her latest photoshoot.

He didn't wanna even think about it. He just sat there, head resting lightly on the counter, wrapping and unwrapping his fingers from around his mug of cider. Something inside him wouldn't let him move otherwise. He was subconsciously enjoying the fact that the whole bar smelled like Mira, and he didn't move until she spoke to him again.

"Oh, Laxus?"

"Hhmn?"

"Do you have anything planned for this afternoon?"

He picked up his head. "No… Why?"

"I just have to go out, and I was hoping you'd watch Cana and make sure she doesn't drink the bar dry while I'm gone."

"Oh… Yeeaahh, sure…" He tried to sound indifferent.

"Thanks. I should be back in a few hours." She gathered up her purse and coat, and wandered out of the guild, stopping every so often to chat quickly with Lucy and some of the other girls around the room.

Laxus sat there for a few minutes after Mira's exit. He rose, and decided to stay close to the bar so that he could still breath in Mira's wonderful s- ah, to keep an eye on Cana! Uh, yeah, that was it! To keep an eye on Cana!

He found the bikini clad mage sitting with Macow and Wakaba, drinking and not paying attention to her companions. Which was evidently fine with them, as both men were throughly engrossed in...

You guessed it.

The latest edition of Sorcerer Weekly.

 _Stay calm. Be cool,_ the Lightning Dragonslayer reminded himself. But still… He had to invent a reason for them to get rid of their magazine.

He refilled his mug and and wandered over.

"Hey Laxus," said Cana as he sat beside her, across from his true targets.

He nodded in greeting. Then turned in reaction to the first moderately loud noise from across the guild, "accidentally" knocking over his cider, and spilling it all over Macow, Wakaba, and more importantly…

Their SWs.

"Oh crap!" He said, feigning surprise. The blonde reached over and grabbed a towel of the bar and mopped up the mess, scooping up the soaked magazines and depositing them into the nearest garbage can.

This started the Dragonslayer off on a mini crime spree through the guild. Inventing reasons to dispose of the material he inexplicably had become so protective of.

It wasn't long before Elfman caught on to what Laxus was trying to do, and started to do the same. (He hated Mira's continuing appearances in the publication as well.)Together, they slowly but aggressively purged the guild.

As one might imagine, it was only a matter of time before a huge fight broke out between the pair and Sorcerer's disgruntled readers. The blonde wasn't sure were McGarden was, but at some point, Redfox joined the fray, ripping the serial to shreds, just to be one of the underdogs.

As the dust settled, Laxus snatched one of the last magazines from the clutches of a fallen brawler.

Mirajane was standing in the doorway.

She was _not_ happy.

The rest of the guild held it's breath.

"Ah, shit…" Laxus found himself searching for an explanation, but couldn't find one the take-over mage would have found acceptable. "Um…"

The white haired woman picked her way across the battleground and stood before the blonde. Where the Hell _was_ Elfman, anyways?

"Well?" Asked Mira, gesturing to the chaos. She took the booklet from him. "A magazine, Laxus?!" She demanded, raising her voice for the first time. "You.." Her voice lowered to normal once more, "nearly brought the guild down over _a magazine_?"

The Dragonslayer remained silent, but he still held her icy gaze. "I-"

"You know what?" She interrupted, "I don't want to hear it." She bent down, picked up a stool from the floor, and set it upright. She crossed the room to the bar and retrieved a broom, sweeping up the shattered glass of one of the windows.

"Well? Why are you all standing around? Let's get this mess cleaned up." She had addressed everyone, but her eyes remained fixed on Laxus. He found himself filled with the nearly overwhelming desire to kiss her angry face and pray that that changed her mood. Wait, what?

The rest of the guild began to move to restore order. Makarov appeared at the railing of the loft.

" I need to see all Dragonslayers in my office immediately, please!"

"Oh, come on!" Natsu yelled. He and the rest of his team had apparently just returned from their most recent job. He stood in the doorway, surveying the carnage. "I DIDN'T EVEN GET TO FIGHT THIS TIME, GRAMPS!" He joined Laxus, Gajeel, and Wendy in the trek up the stairs.

"What happened?" Natsu whispered.

"Shut up." Laxus shot back.

"Oh, you're the one he's mad at. Whatcha do?"

"Shut… UP." The Lightning and Iron Dragonslayers growled.

"Ah, both of you…" Their Fire counterpart murmured as the group filed into the room.

"Natsu, please?" Begged Wendy, her small frame trembling in fear of the unknown.

"Everyone take a seat." Said Master, and they, of course, obeyed. The old man walked over and sat behind his desk, the majority of which was covered by a massive, ancient tome with a crumbling binding.

"Been reading your old diary Gramps?" Natsu asked with slightly hesitant laughter. "Any good poems about Porlyusica in there?"

Makarov gave him a nearly crippling stink eye. "This, if you will _kindly_ pay attention," he said in a manner as short as he, "Is the Book of Mystic Beasts. It chronicles the lifestyle and history of many creatures. Including Dragons." He paused with a slightly dramatic air.

"Wait," said Laxus, sitting forward in his chair, "you mean this isn't about me nearly destroying the guild?"

"Be assured," Makarov warned, "Your shenanigans play a role in this. In fact, this may do more to explain them than you are capable of."

His children waited expectantly.

"This particular passage, for instance," Makarov continued, "Speaks of a strange phenomenon that occurs in all Dragons, once they are of age." He looked down at the page and read aloud, " 'During the Spring, for about one moon's time, Dragons, and by extension, Dragon _slayers,_ experience heightened emotional responses to various situations. This is especially true of romantic situations. Dragons and Slayers are similar in many ways, one of which being their lifelong monogamous commitments.' "

At the mention of _romantic situations_ , Laxus and the other three Slayers blanched.

" 'At this time of year, adult Dragons and Slayers enter into a period commonly called their Mating Season, as their heightened emotions largely center around the person of their mate. Examples include affection, protectiveness, and desire to please, to degrees that may surprise them, particularly if this is their first such experience.' "

Saying this, the old man looked up from the text and looked at Wendy. "How old are you now, my dear?" He asked her.

''I'm fifteen, Master." She replied.

"Ah, then this would be the first time for you." He said, almost to himself.

"What does any this have to do with nearly tearing down the guild?" Laxus asked, growing impatient.

"Was destroying the only real home you've ever known your _design_?" asked Makarov, "Or was something else your goal?"

"Hold it." Said Gajeel, speaking for the first time since they'd entered the room. "I know what you're sayin' old man, but then, why would I get involved? I mean, Mira's nice and all, but I like Shrimp jus' fine. For Elfman, it makes sense, he's her brother. But me… Normally I couldn't care less, but…"

"Your instincts," Gramps replied, "made you keenly aware of your fellow Slayer's suffering. You knew how you would react under similar circumstances, and came to Laxus's aid."

The studded Slayer nodded in understanding.

"So, you called us up here to give us a history lesson and to tell us to amp down?" Asked Natsu.

"To the first, yes. To the second, partially, and thirdly, I also wish to warn you."

The others waited. Makarov turned his gaze back to the volume before him and continued to read to them.

" 'As this season progresses, affected Dragons and Slayers' attachment to their mates becomes more extreme. To be separated from them for lengthy periods, or for their mate to be displeased with them in any way, for any reason, causes the Dragon and Slayer alike to experience high levels of nervousness, short temper, and in some cases, depression, leading to self harm and even suicidal tendencies.' So you see children," he looked at each of them in turn, but fixed his eyes on his grandson, "It is imperative that you behave wisely during this time; for your own safety as well as the safety of those around you. My first priority is the wellbeing of my children." Makarov rose from his chair. "Go on, get back downstairs and help with the clean-up."

Gajeel and the other two rose and milled out of the office, Natsu still complaining about having done nothing wrong, but Laxus stayed seated, his head in his hands. Master placed a hand on the blonde's shoulder.

"She hates me, Gramps." The Dragonslayer moaned.

"No, I don't think that she does." He replied. "I think she's angry because you confuse her. You need to come clean with her. Tell her why you did what you did, and hope she understands."

"That's kinda a gamble, dontcha think?"

"Yes. But that's love, my boy." Said Makarov sympathetically.

"I guess." Laxus rose, absentmindedly wiped his hands on his jeans. He made his way down the stairs with a kind of sullen apprehension.

Downstairs, cleanup was in progress, and Laxus went around quietly setting tables upright and mopping up spills.

It took only a couple minutes for the young man to realize that Mirajane was not anywhere to be seen. He wanted nothing more than to drop his work and go find her to apologize, but he knew it would mean more to her for him to, for the moment, keep his distance.

He was headed past the ladies restroom, in search of the mop, when he heard Lisanna's voice say: "…just a big dummy, Sis. It'll be okay."

Laxus pressed his ear to the door of the bathroom, listening intently.

"Yeah," came Lucy's voice, "They all are. You never really know why guys do anything. He probably didn't mean any _real_ harm."

Then came Mira's reply, her voice so fragile and tight from crying, Laxus froze with a heart full of self-loathing.

"If he had a problem with it, why didn't he talk to me about it? Why is this the first time he's done anything about it? Why does it suddenly matter to him?"

Laxus was about to walk away, let her calm down before he approached the subject. But then she added, "Do _I_ even matter to him, or does he just like the control of leaving me hanging and confused?"

Before he knew what was happening, the Dragonslayer burst into the ladies' room. The three girls screamed, Lisanna and Lucy standing on either side of Mira, who sat on the counter, all their eyes wide in shock.

"What do _you_ want?" Asked Mira, resuming her icy tone from earlier.

Laxus bit his lip a second before answering. "That's not fair." He said.

"You know what I don't think is fair?" She demanded, "Tearing your guild-mates apart over a magazine that you suddenly decided to hate."

"It was anything but sudden."

She raised her eyebrows. "So you've never supported me in that? Because I seem to recall you buying quite a few copies for somebody who hates my work so much."

"Is that what you think? You think I don't like it? I love it. You look _good!_ "

"You bastard." She spat.

"Um, Sis…?" Lisanna tried.

"SHUT UP!" Mira bellowed, not even looking at her.

"I think," said Laxus to the other two young women, "it would be in the best interest of the world at large for the two of you to let us finish this in private." They took the hint and left.

Returning his attention to the beautiful demon before him, the Lightning Slayer braced himself. "Alright," he told her, "What've you got? I'm ready."

The white haired woman scoffed. "First off, you don't have to treat me like some ill behaved child. You're the one who is ill behaved. Second, I am extremely upset with you because I thought I could trust you to be in charge while I was gone into town, and instead, I come home to the sight of you, Gajeel and Elfman inciting a massive brawl over a magazine, acting like twelve year old bullies stealing other kids comic books. Yeah, real mature."

Laxus decided to let that pass without comment. "And then…?"

"THEN," she continued, "I get really confused, because it makes no sense to me as to why you would suddenly do this. The others reading Sorcerer never bothered you before."

"Oh, it's always bugged me." Said the blonde.

"You _never_ said _anything_ about it!" She yelled, sliding off of the counter. "And why, if it bugged you _so much,_ would you go on reading it? And why are you allowed to read it, but no one else it?"

"Because-"

"Because what, Laxus?" She was getting into his face now. Her close proximity caused him to twitch a little as he tamed the urge to reach out and hug her until she hugged him back, even if it took a thousand years. He drew in a breath of her scent and bit back a curse.

Of course! He hadn't noticed it this morning, but as she stared him down with a glare that made most men cower and beg for mommy, he realize why she was being so… _Difficult_.

She was on her period. He was sure of it.

He could smell the pheromones she was giving off much more clearly than he'd been able to earlier that day.

"Why?!" Mira demanded again. She was so close, their noses were nearly touching. "Why do you hate me so much, you take some kind of sadistic pleasure in confusing me?" She was tearing up again, and Laxus did the only thing he could think of.

He kissed her.

Hard.

"Understand now?" He asked when they parted, "Or would you like me to elaborate?"

She stared, dumbfounded.

"I'm sorry." The blonde started. "I'm sorry that I let you down when you trusted me. I'm sorry I'm so confusing. Trust me, half the time, _I_ didn't even understand."

She didn't move.

"I'm going through some Dragonslayer thing Gramps called 'Mating Season'. We become really protective of things that are important to us… especially The ones we love. And I love you Mira. I don't know, but I just couldn't take the other guys getting to look at you like that anymore. I've always be bothered by it, but this whole 'season' thing has made that jealousy unbearable. My brain shut off, and my instincts came on and…. And…''

He trailed off because a smile had slowly stretched across her porcelain face.

And wonder of wonders… She kissed him back. She slipped her perfect hands into his jacket and across the young man's chest. Laxus wrapped the flaps of his coat around them both tightly, deepening the kiss. Every fiber of the Lightning Dragonslayer's body heaved a sigh of relief.

"I love you too, Laxus." She murmured as they parted for air.

"I'm glad, because if you didn't, I would have just made a fool of myself for no reason."

She giggled a little at that, (she had a friggin' adorable giggle,) and then seemed thoughtful.

"What's that face for?" The blonde asked.

"You said this was a Dragonslayer thing…" Replied Mira.

"Yeah, why?"

"It's just that that means everybody else… Natsu and Lucy, Gajeel and Levy, oh, and Wendy! This is so fantastic, I'll finally be able to see my beloved-"

"Don't even start!" Laxus warned. "You are not to interfere with the others' relationships at all!"

"But, but… My _OTPs_!"

"Will come together with or without your help." The blonde supplied. "The same things happening to me are happening with them. They will take care of it themselves."

"But you mean I can't matchmake _at all_?" Asked Mira indignantly.

"Not even once. Just sit back and watch." He pulled her as close he could, and Mira rested her head against his chest, fiddling with the collar of his partly unbuttoned shirt.

"You're no fun." She complained.

"But you love me anyway," Laxus pointed out.

"I guess you're right." Said the white haired woman.

He smiled and tilted her head up to kiss her lips once more.

Maybe this Mating Season thing wasn't such a bad idea.

 **DANG, DIALOGUE IS HARD!**

 **Ok, obviously, this was a Dragon Mating Season fic. I plan to do at least one focused on each of the Slayer ships.**

 **Again, I'm sorry this one was late, BUT DID YOU NOTICE HOW FREAKISHLY LONG THIS ONE WAS?!**

 **HAPPY BELATED HALLOWEEN.**

 **Lala Salaam,**

 _ **Mwali-chan**_


	8. Cliches

Cliches.

Nalu.

 _Inspired by the song "Must have done something right" by Relient K._

 _ **Yes! At long last! More Nalu! Sorry that took so long. It's just really hard to find Nalu stories that haven't been done yet, or at least, not done**_ _ **excessively**_ _ **. It feels like they're mostly the same, so I'm trying to give new life to the ship.**_

 _ **WARNING, SHAMELESS FLUFF.**_

Narrator's POV

"Come ON, Natsu! Think!" The pink haired man mumbled, pacing through his and Happy's house. "There's gotta be a new way to say it."

Had the Fire Dragonslayer's mind been an office, the garbage can would have been overflowing with crumpled scraps of paper and fast food wrappers. The desk would be cluttered, and the question at hand would be posted in big black letters on a quark board on the wall.

The 'it' to which he referred was his feelings toward Lucy, and he noticed that all the different ways He could come up with to tell her were all things he'd heard of before. He didn't want to just use a bunch of…

What had she called them? Quiches? No, that was ridiculous! Natsu shook his head, ignoring the rumbling in his gut. Now he knew why it was bad to think on an empty stomach.

Clichés! THAT was it! That was what Luce had called them.

And yes, it was the blonde herself who had, incidentally, set the salmon haired Dragneel off on this particular tangent.

FLASHBACK

Natsu and Happy sat down with Lucy at one of the tables in the guildhall for lunch. The blonde woman was throughly engrossed in yet another book, as usual.

"Earth to Lucy, Earth to Lucy." Natsu called. "Come on! It's time to eat!"

"Oh, right." She relied, setting the book down. "Sorry."

"Whatcha reading, anyhow?" The Dragonslayer asked.

"Oh, it's a romance novel that Juvia suggested."

"Any good?"

"Well, I mean, it's cute and all, but it isn't really my style… There's just too many cliches; it's nearly dripping with them."

"Cli-what?" Happy asked around a mouthful of salmon.

"Cliches. Ideas for stories that just keep getting used over and over again. It makes it hard to enjoy the book if you can always guess what happens next."

"Like what?" Natsu asked.

"Well, for instance," Lucy picked up the book again, turning to her place. "Where I am now, this guy really likes this girl, and his friends are telling him to tell her how he feels. So right now, he's working on an over complicated plan full of riddle notes, riding in a horse-drawn buggy and song writing to do that."

"That's… Bad?" Asked the Dragonslayer.

"Not bad, necessarily. It's just that it's nothing new, so it can be a little boring sometimes. What's so romantic about copying other guys' ideas? It's a special thing, and should be unique."

"I guess," Natsu replied, rising to his feet with a yawn. "Well, I need to get home and take nap. See ya." And he walked out nonchalantly.

As soon as he was out of the guild though, the salmon haired young man ran for all his legs were worth, slamming the cabin door behind him.

END FLASHBACK

Now it was about two o'clock the next morning, and he was still pondering the question of cliches. How was he supposed to be able to be unique? Guys had been liking girls since the beginning of time! There were only so many ways to say you loved somebody.

Natsu was sitting at the table, thumbing through one of the few books he owned, a worn collection of fairytales. Happy had pulled it out for him when he'd arrived at the house that evening. The blue fluff ball was now curled up at the foot of the bed.

The Dragonslayer envied his friend. He wanted nothing more than to eat a late-night snack and go to bed himself, but the question at hand was nagging. He flipped absentmindedly through the book, just so that his hands had something to do. He turned to the next page, (the last one, it turned out,) and his eyes fell to the last handful of words: _and they all lived happily ever after._

Natsu became excited.

He closed the book and went to the fridge feeling oddly pleased with himself. He ate a bagel, some ramen and made himself some nachos.

His grin still plastered on his face, he fell asleep.

NEXT EVENING

That evening, he gathered up his courage, and launched into the conversation with: "Hey Luce?"

She looked at him as they kept walking. "Yeah?"

"You remember talkin' about clichés yesterday?"

"Yeah, of course. Why?"

Natsu took a deep breath. "I've decided you're wrong."

"How so?" She asked, stopping. _Now_ he had her attention.

"Some clichés are too good _not_ to repeat."

"For example…?"

"What's the oldest one you can think of?"

She thought for a few moments." Hhhmm … Someone says 'I can't imagine life without you.' "

"Good try, but older."

"Damsel in distress?"

"That's really close. I think these two happened around the same time."

"As soon as you say it, I'm going to feel like an idiot for not figuring it out."

Natsu cleared his throat for dramatic effect. " _And they all lived happily ever after."_ Lucy face-palmed as he continued. "No matter what you read, you always want the ending to be happy, right?" With some hesitation, he took the blonde's hand in his own. "I want us to have a happily ever after too."

Lucy stopped dead in her tracks. Stared at him. "Say again?"

"I said I want to have a happily ever." Said Natsu a little too quickly. Suddenly nervous, he released her hand.

Or tried to.

But Lucy was clinging to it tightly.

"That isn't what you said." She told him. "Tell me what you said."

"I want… Us to… Have a happily ever after-"

He only just managed to finish.

Because Lucy had her lips pressed hard against his.

It took a few seconds for his brain to come back online so that he could put his arms around her.

They parted a few seconds later, and Natsu grinned. "See?" He said, "Not _all_ clichés are so bad."

 **Tada! IT'S SO FLUFFY I'M GONNA DIE!**

 **Ya'll have been asking for more NaLu, and now you've got it! I hope you enjoyed it!**

 **Lala Salaam,**

 **~Mwali**


	9. Jealousy

**Jealous?**

A Gale Oneshot

 **Here's Gale! I hope you Enjoy It!**

 **(Warning: this story's forecast is sunny with a** **slight illusion to mild smut.** _ **)**_

 **I AM OFFICIALLY ON MY CHRISTMAS BREAK! I hope to upload twice more before the start of the new semester.**

 **Also, to those of you who have a WattPad Account, I would appreciate it if you guys would go show both Fairytail Bride and Fairytail Fleet some love. Author:** **MwaliTatu**

 _ **Gajeel's POV**_

Well, Flame Brain finally did it. He asked Bunny Girl to marry his dumb ass. Apparently, he popped the question as he was walkin' her home. When she said yes, he dragged her back to the guild and shouted it at the top of his lungs. The impromptu engagement party lasted two days.

Me and Shrimp missed it.

Cuz we were on the way home from our own Hargeon honeymoon.

That was about a month ago now, and preparations were beginning for Salamander and Lucy.

Between Shrimp, Mira, Rain Woman, and the Titania, the girls were well into the ins and outs of choosing colors and getting the cake commissioned. Erza insisted that strawberries were a traditionally lucky fruit, and should completely COVER the cake. (No one batted an eye.)

What were the guys doing? Sittin' at the bar, laughing and poking fun at each other, what else?

Flame brain and I took advantage of the moment to tease Popsicle Fullbuster.

"So, you're officially the last one to the party, huh Gray?" Natsu joked.

"Yeah," I added, "when _are_ you gonna finally ask Juvia to marry you?"

Unfortunately, even from across a crowded room, Rain Woman heard my question. She started gripping at Bunny Girl's arm like it was the only real thing in the world. "Marry Gray-sama? Juvia will marry Gray-sama?" The blonde helped the poor girl sit down.

"Do we _really_ wanna force him on her, though?" asked Pyro, "I mean, that seems kinda cruel…"

"Good point." I agreed. "After all, we _do_ love Juvia…"

"Alright! SHUT UP!" Gray roared "I…" He realized he was still yelling, so he lowered his voice so it was hardly a whisper. "… _will_ ask her, but I refuse to do so just to keep up. Our moment will be our moment."

Flame Brain and I looked at each other and grinned.

"Right answer," I slapped the Stripper on the back. "Right answer."

-TIME SKIP- 2 months

Salamander had to flip a coin to decide on his best man.

Gray won, and I had an internal party, because regular groomsman have next to no responsibilities.

The decision for the bride was not quite so easy. (Girls have too many best friends, I think.)

In the end, Juvia was the maid of honor, and the newly minted Mrs. Redfox was to be the matron.

The wedding was set for tomorrow, and Shorty and I were standing with the rest of the wedding party as Mira and Erza, who were recognized as the wedding planners, were going over the finer points of the recessional.

"So obviously," Scarlet said, "Mr. and Mrs. Dragneel would lead the way, followed by Gray and Levy, then Gajeel with Juvia, Romeo and Wendy, and Alsca will bring up the rear."

"Make sure you smile!" Mira reminded us, "And we will work out the best timing."

We all nodded. We went through it a handful of times, and every now and then, Shrimp would look back at me over her shoulder. I asked her about it on the walk home that evening.

"Well," she said, "I just wanted to be sure you and Juvia weren't mad."

"Mad? Why?"

"You know, because Gray and I are going to be arm-in-arm, walking down the aisle…"

"Oh nah," I replied, "Juvia might be bothered, cuz that's just how she is, but it's cool with me. It don't matter none."

"So it doesn't bug you?"

I shook my head no.

"Even though I'm clinging to the arm of another man," She said dramatically, "a smile on my face as we walk slowly down the aisle? What if I lose my balance and Gray must wrap his strong, bare arms around me, and hold me up until we reach the end?"

Slowly losing my cherub-like demeanor, I shrugged as I went to unlock our front door.

"Suppose I get caught up in the moment?" She continued mercilessly as I opened the door for her. "What if I forget that you're behind me?"

"I'll grab your ass and remind you." I told her, following her inside.

"But what if I think it was Gray, and I go to kiss him? Then what?"

"There will be a body on the floor, and I'll be kissing you. The point is," I grabbed her wrists, pinned her to the wall, and bent to bury my face in her neck. "I don't care what happens tomorrow, you're comin' _home_ with me." She squirmed as I kissed her neck and along her collarbone.

"Is… Is that a threat?" She asked me, her voice shaking just right.

"A promise," I corrected with a low growl. I moved her wrists so that both were caught in the grip of my left hand, and stroked her short sexy leg with my right. "Cuz this… is… mine…"

I firmly gripped her ass. "And this…"

"and this…" I released her hands, and she wrapped her arms around my neck as I went on.

"and this… This and this, especially these," I said, crashing my lips to her's.

I pulled away a few moments later. "And rule number one is, _The Gajeel does…not…share._ Not himself with nobody but his Shrimp, and not his Shrimp with nobody but himself. Got it?"

"Why, _The_ Gajeel…" She replied with a coy smile, "You're the jealous kind."

I scooped her up and headed for the stairs. " _Oh, Hell yeah, I am_."

 **UGH! FINALLY! ("Backstreet's Back" plays in the background) Honestly, that was Ridiculous! I have the next shot written, I just need to type it. This is a true return!**

 **So that one got just a** _ **little**_ **smutty. Hope no one's traumatized. Or** _ **too**_ **mad…(^v^)**

 **Just so ya know, that's as far as any of these will go.**

 **Anyone who caught the John Pinette reference gets a shoutout on the next installment! PM Dumamoja with the quote.**

 **Let me know what you thought! Your input is valuable!**

 **Lala Salaam,**

 **~Mwali-chan**


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